Published: Monday, February 18, 2013 at 12:01 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, February 18, 2013 at 12:01 a.m.

He states that since President Lyndon Johnson declared a "war on poverty" in the 1960s, we have spent $16 trillion, and the number of Americans living below the poverty level has increased. His answer is to refocus how the future trillions are to be spent.

So, the answer to a quantified, governmental, decades-long failure is to refocus and continue to spend the money, and hope that it might work. Continuing to do the same thing and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.

Did anyone also notice that the bill for the war on poverty is equal to our national debt?

Imagine how good our economy would look now if $16 trillion had not been siphoned off and laundered through the government for so-called social justice and we had no federal debt.

<p>Nicholas Kristof's recent column is revealing into the mind-set of progressives ["For Obama's Second Term, Start Here," op-ed column, Jan. 29].</p><p>He states that since President Lyndon Johnson declared a "war on poverty" in the 1960s, we have spent $16 trillion, and the number of Americans living below the poverty level has increased. His answer is to refocus how the future trillions are to be spent.</p><p>So, the answer to a quantified, governmental, decades-long failure is to refocus and continue to spend the money, and hope that it might work. Continuing to do the same thing and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity.</p><p>Did anyone also notice that the bill for the war on poverty is equal to our national debt?</p><p>Imagine how good our economy would look now if $16 trillion had not been siphoned off and laundered through the government for so-called social justice and we had no federal debt.</p><p>One can only dream.</p><p>LINCOLN JACOBS</p><p>Lakeland</p>